This poem has been around forever but I just love it.

10. After a meeting at work, you form a line outside the boardroom and high-five everyone as they file out.

9. Brother’s wedding or the Dragon Boat Festival? Why, that practically answers itself.

8. When stopped at an intersection, you see a car creeping over the solid white line and yell, “man in the red Ford “back it down or you’re disqualified!”

7. You have calluses on your ass and palms the size of quarters

6. When running with your friends to catch the last train home from work, you yell “series in 3*2*1″.

5. You are starting to resemble the body shape of a gorilla.

4. You know what a heart attack feels like already.

3. You argue with a 90 year old lady who is sitting in the middle of the bus, claiming that you always sit in the ‘engine room’.

2. After a bout of lovemaking with your significant other, you say ‘let it run’

1. You have finally found something that smells worse than your hockey bag…PADDLING SHOES!

** You know when, I’ve been in the sport to long: WHEN I was giving birth I was breathing like your at a start and I even was doing the start calls (in my head) until a nurse told me I can stop breathing heavily….you have a baby girl.

Yesterday was Canada Day a day to celebrate our county’s 142nd birthday. . I hope you all you Canadians had a blast whatever you were doing.

Every year since I was could remember my family and I took in our (old) towns Canada Day parade and the rest of the activity’s afterward. And or if we were home/in the pool and the wind was right we could smell the famous Salmon BBQ that they always have…. the joys of living in a small fishing town. Though this year I opted out of driving out to take in the venue, as I over slept and I didn’t really want to battle others looking for parking.

I think its the little things I’m missing about my old place, like every year there would be a paper Canadian flags in everyone’s front lawn, so everyone could have a flag when they head down to the parade, which was done by a realtor who lived in the subdivision as well I went to school with her two sons. If I was able to find those flags I would have done it to my neighbours but I ran out of time. The city I’m in now had their own celebrations, I think I saw more of my neighbours yesterday out and about on the street then I have all year. I didn’t take part in it this year as I took out my Mom for lunch instead.

Growing up and watching those I am Canadian, Molson Canadian beer commercials on tv with one of them sticking to my mind to this day though I can’t find it on youtube. Where this person had a tattoo of Canada with the flag filling it in.. (tired googling but found more American tattoos of that style.) Since I first saw that commercial I wanted that tattoo or something close to it, to mark that I was a proud Canadian.

We all show how patriotic we are to our country in different ways: some are willing fight and die for us, others will be presenting their county at a sporting event or flying their country flag all year long (not just on the country birthday). Like many, I have opted for a Canadian Maple Leaf tattoo with a dragon boat paddle.

To the neighbours to the south have a great 4th of July this weekend.

How did you spend your Canada Day / July 1st?
How patriotic are you? Just on your countries birthday or all year long?
Would you ever get a patriotic tattoo?